This is a regular feature article, where Whiny Bear pens down her journey towards her perfect body. If you want to read the previous article, click here
Getting back to a “normal” life!
“At last, the pressure of the perfect birthday is behind me”, I thought, as I folded my size 12 dress, neatly, into the closet. No sooner had I started watching my weight, that the universe conspired against me. So much for divine intervention!
In the last few weeks, my toddler fell sick, we had to move houses, and hubby went on an unexpected journey. Thanks to all these unplanned deviations, my exercise plans disappeared. Thankfully, it took with it, my stress over how to exercise, what to do, and when to do it . Anyhow, now I am back to square one, my most favorite square in the world. I am happily eating leftover Biriyani for breakfast, and munching on my tod’s half-eaten muffins.
On one hand, the Calorie Counter app is very motivating. You know how you always heard from mother hens that they are losing weight by simply running after their naughty kids. You actually do, well, not a lot, but about 300 odd calories. Which by the way, my friend, you can gain easily from the aforementioned half-eaten muffins.
“App”lying Calorie Count There should be an Indian calorie counter app (technical geniuses out there, please take note, and send me a royalty!). The western ones have options like “Broccoli salad= 230 calories”, and even if you take the pains of adding all the ingredients of your “Mutton Curry”, it adds up to 565 calories per serving!
It is true, Indian food is “greasy, and spicy, but insanely tasty!”.So I tried going the western way for few days.
Steamed Veggie Dinners
I made excited proclamations to my mother about my salad endeavors. She dismissed my super exotic salad as “ Alu kabli”: a bengali street food made of potato with lemon, chilli, and a melange of spices. Unfortunately, my bland bowl of veggies is nothing like the mouth watering Alu Kabli in taste. Primarily, because you cannot add potato and weightless in the same bowl. I added cauliflowers, corn, carrots, bell peppers , and then seasoned with lemon juice, black salt, and pepper. It tasted like sadness in a bowl.
If my genes were western, I would be filled by these. But, after eating one bowl full of steamed veggies, I longingly looked at the rice, dal and chicken curry that my husband was feasting heartlessly on. He would interpret the helplessness in my eyes as desire for his food and say sympathetically: “Oh, you did not eat anything. Here, have some rice”. Now who can say no to that!
To summarize, I have been gorging on two dinners instead of the usual one. By the way, I have stopped checking my weight since I started ‘feeling’ lighter, so I cannot confirm or deny any weight change due to this “exercise”. But, a woman’s instinct can be trusted, they say.
No junk snacking
Please don’t kill me now! I know I said I munch on muffins, but that's only to avoid food wastage. But when I choose a snack exclusively for me, I try to eat fruits like peaches , apples, and berries. I tried not to eat cookies or biscuits and generally stuck to 3 heavy meals. I substituted solids with liquids like low calories juices. I know what you are itching to tell me - juices, , even the “no sugar added, Low cal” ones are just empty calories with heaps of additives. But, they are marginally better than munching on chewy, and chunky chocolate chip cookies (three at a time) - right?
I also prepared “kala chana” (black grams) roast in bulk. Since that is my favorite, I keep popping fistsful whenever I feel hunger pangs. It is a protein rich, low-fat alternative to “Haldiraams aloo bhujia”.
My new strategy is to try harder to regulate my food habits, using lesser oil alternatives. In between my ‘totally eco-friendly’, innocent junk bites, I am eating super healthy supplements. I am sure total body magic is right around the corner.
Now that food is under absolute control, maybe it is time for me to try some home based exercise routines. Apart from running around my toddler, I mean!
_Did you like the article? Leave a comment, or write to us : editor@blankslatechronicles.com. Keep your eyes open for the next episode of Whiny Bear's journey towards her perfe_ct body!